Come, Ye Brand Pilgrims

Construction starts now on a 25,000-square-foot Lego museum and garden in the center of the company's hometown of Billund, Denmark, that the company says will draw 250,000 people a year. That makes Billund competitive against:

Be careful, brands: Museums are well and good, but Lego's longevity is rare. "We know the history of many company towns," says Bill Baker, author of Destination Branding for Small Cities. Younger brands need to convince locals that they'll be around for a while—and no town wants to end up like Detroit.